Cloudy with a chance of girlfriend...

"Met a girl. Fell in love.
Glad as I can be..."

The Kinks
"Nothin' In This World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl"

"Anything Can Happen On Live TV"

I just saw this clip on a news article. I'll need to do some research to find out who this is and what exactly is going on here.

But here's the gist of things...

During a live, tv gameshow, a Swedish gameshow hostess VIOLENTLY throws up, out of nowhere, disappears for a second and then comes back to explain WHY she threw up and to continue with the game. Her explanation defies description.

It's my new favorite Youtube clip.
And the vomiting doesn't bother me one bit.

(It might bug you, though, so watch with caution.)



Painfully Menstruating,
Mr.B

EDITED TO ADD: I found a little more info about this clip over on Digg.com.

The extremely attractive Eva Nazemson has just earned legendary status in Sweden after vomiting during a live game show on Swedish TV. But instead of dashing off set, Nazemson simply laughed, wiped her mouth and got back to work. "Anything can happen on live TV," she noted.

A Little Love for The Monday Show...

Just got this email from kgb...

Mr.B,

I forgot to tell you---

I did this super fun spontaneous improv gig last wednesday (bar-prov at black rock bar).

The guy organizing it saw me and said, "YOU were in the MONDAY SHOW! I LOVED the MONDAY SHOW!"

Later two other people in the audience said the same thing.



-kgb

Isn't that nice?
A little love for a show that last ran 2-3 years ago. That's lovely. Absolutely made my day. It's nice to have your show get a little attention, post-humously.

Cheers,
Mr.B

Monday Pictures Presents: Evan.

We shot this little video a few weeks ago and it's just been edited and posted on Youtube. The idea for the script was Erin's. He cast me in it, as the pizza guy. And my friend, Stacy, played the girlfriend. Ryan and Matt did the camera work for it and edited it together.

I think it's the best thing we've done yet. There's a gentle nature about the video. In a time where cynicism, saracasm and snarky videos that lead to a single punchline are the typical videos that amateur groups make, ours is actually sweet and a little bit touching. I give Erin all the credit for that. It was his idea, as he pitched it to us, at MP meeting, a few weeks ago.

It took 1.5 days to shoot. One week to edit. And three donated pizza boxes later, we had a video.

Special thanks also has to go to our cake wrangler, Lisa Fairman. Nice cake, lady.

Check it out...

MONDAY PICTURES PRESENTS: "EVAN".

GORILLA CHASE!

This past Saturday, at The Belmont Burlesque Revue, a naughty gorilla got loose in the theater and shenanigans ensued.

Luckily there was a camera on hand to capture the hijinks.

Enjoy.



Big thanks to Hendo and Paris Green for taping the show and getting this clip up on the Youtubes.

Cheers,
Mr.B

A Bionic Bitch-Slapping.

Well, the Great, Big Mama Bird of Network Television has regurgitated up another tv classic for the Hungry Baby Birds of Network Tv Viewers to swallow up, hungrily. NBC has reworked a tv show that absolutely no one was dying to see again, 1975's "The Bionic Woman". I think it's hilarious that they've worked so hard to re-imagine what was, essentially a spin-off of a much more popular male character. Before there was a Bionic Woman, there was "The Six Million Dollar Man".
The latter show was infinitely more popular. Kids everywhere were enthralled with the adventures of Steve Austin, as played by Lee Majors. I can't figure out why Network TV isn't remaking the more popular show of the two. But then again, I've decided that television and movie producers have been hitting the crack-pipe of corporate business decisions so long ago, that they're clearly making ass-backwards decisions, all the time.

But then, you probably already knew that.

In this NEW bionic woman show, the bionic woman is played by Michelle Ryan.

That's her, right there.


Those GIGANTIC TITS are nuclear powered, boyos. It took the top surgeon to restore her come hither look and her "fuck me" eyes. Also, she is clearly fingering herself in this picture, which is, I think, hardly appropriate for network television.


According to this review, the NEW bionic woman is a low-paid bartender who was in a bad car-accident. The government decided to rebuild her, giving her nuclear powered legs, right arm, right ear and right eye. Also her blood has this amazing new compound in it that allows her to heal more quickly. (Someone saw X-Men, the movie, didn't they?)
In the first episode, she becomes the NEW bionic woman, instantly becomes a bad-ass proto-military chick, fucks some dude, breaks some other dude out of a mega-prison and then fights the "original" bionic woman, who has gone rogue and ...blah blah blah...I don't fucking care.

And niether should you.

It was stupid, pointless, spin-off bullshit in 1975 and now it's stupid, pointless, remade bullshit, 32 years later. Several reviews that I've read have embraced the whole "knowingly cheesey, meta level of writing where characters talk like they KNOW that they're on a bad sci-fi show."
Why? Fucking Why? That's just lazy writing. The writers looked at the premise and thought, "Nobody is going to watch this shit and expect anything realistic or interesting. They just want a big-titted, tank-topped, military chick jump around and kick guys through walls. Let's just write that!" And so they did.

Now, I'm not lamenting the wasted efforts that have been put into this... let me say this again... REMAKE OF A SHITTY SPIN-OFF OF A 70'S SHOW. It was a turd from the minute some Hollywood exec ironically gave this the go-ahead. No getting around it. But maybe the writers could've actually invested in this character's story, invested in the reality of her situation, focused less on giving her hot tits and a sister with a pathetic backstory and put her in high-adventure plotlines that are balanced with her secret alter-ego lifestyle. The girl who pines for the slacker down the street from her place, but also fights ninjas who attack her when she's cooking in her apartment. See how much more charming that is?

Well, the first reviews are starting to come in and as one would guess, it fucking sucks. Here's what a reviewer had to say about the show on IMDB...

I like Battlestar Galactica, its a good remake of a terrible 70s show. This on the other hand is the polar opposite. The effects for the most part are bad, and at some points cartoony. The dialogue is sub par for the most part and the characters unimaginative to say the least more accurately to say there stock characters drawn from "the big book of thriller stock characters for dummies, TV edition". The few bright spots are those performances from Eick's Battlestar cast, Starbuck as the evil first Bionic woman was good but let down by poor writing and character that is just crazy without motivation. In every regard it is failed by the writing one of the key themes female empowerment isn't so much subtle underlayed in the story but bludgeoned into you at ever dialogue opportunity. However if the writing and the special effects were improved it might be OK, though unlikely to ever excel since the star Michelle Ryan lacks the acting ability to be the centre of the show, unlike the ensemble of battlestar this show will ultimately live or die by her performance. probably be cancelled after a season, or get transfered to Sci Fi channel.

Please note that Battlestar Galactica took an old show, kept it's central premise, jettisoned the shitty extraneous stuff and took it's situation and plot VERY seriously and invested them with hard core reality. Consequently, the show was a phenomenal success.

I'm sick of the networks lazily producing shit.

I'm insulted that they expect that I'm going to give them a pass because they're knowingly creating an ironic take on a piece of shit. Fuck that. If they want my time and my cash, they best earn it by creating something compelling or interesting to hold my attention. (I.E. "Lost" which is niether a remake, nor a fucking spin-off.) I'm a hostile tv viewer that is tired of buying the same shit that I bought once before.

And really, so should you be. Hold the networks up to a higher standard, refuse to watch the backwash that they leave at the bottom of the bottle and resell to you, and they'll eventually get desperate enough to take a chance on original works or smart, funny, sexy scripts. Just because THEY'RE being lazy doesn't mean that you get to be lazy too.

Don't even get me started on the Caveman Insurance Commercial that's being re-packaged as a tv show right now. Apparently network television is being programmed by a 12 year old girl. I see that show being created and I think, "The Fundamentalist Jihadists might be onto something. That show makes me want to fucking kill capitalists too."

Here endeth the Bionically Powered Rant...

My September Horoscope.

A Pretty Girl that I know, just emailed my horoscope to me. This is what it said...

Here are a few of the interesting developments I expect that you will have enjoyed by the end of September: unexpected revelations about your past; a deeper commitment that spawns more freedom; an ethical use of smoke and mirrors for the most important hocus-pocus of the year; unheard-of emotions that are so transformative they make pain unnecessary; and -- speaking metaphorically here -- a night journey down a dark road that leads to a pile of coal where a huge diamond is hidden.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of horoscopes. I've tried that old trick where you read other horoscopes about other signs and see if they match up to you, too. And sometimes they did. Sometimes the astrologer writes in such a vague way, that they really could mean just about anything. We, the readers, fill in the details.

But this one describes actual changes in my life that I could easily step back and take stock of.

-Unexpected Revelations about my past?
-A Deep Commitment that Spawns More Freedom?
-An Ethical Use of Smoke and Mirrors?

Well, I can actually track whether I have any sort of revelations about my past. And I'll know if I make any more commitments to anyone or anything. And being a theater nerd, there's already a pretty good chance that I'll be using Smoke and/or mirrors (metaphorically) some time soon. So, I'll know if I'm using theater to actually get something else done.

All things that I can track.

Let's meet back here around October 1st and see if these have or have not come true.

Cheers,
Mr.B

Across The Universe - Being For The Benefit of Mr.Kite

Lush, whimsical eye candy or fucking terrible nightmare?

You decide...



Cheers,
Mr.B

SFS - A table with Attitude.

I had to post this.

It's a preview of something you'll see at tonight's "Free F***ing Preview" of Sickest F***ing Stories" at the Playground.

It's our show table.

And we wanted to stencil it with something that would keep people from using it in their improv shows.

So, that' why we wrote THIS on our table. Check it out.



Special Thanks to Greg Inda for taking the pic and posting it for me.

Cheers,
COB

Fugue Trib Review is Posted.

Krissy, one of the Fugueanauts, forwarded me this review from the Chicago Trib.

Also at the Theatre Building is an ongoing series of long-form improv shows from
Theatre Momentum. This is the second effort from the group (the first was in
July), and the kind of work they're doing is a worthy alternative to what you'll
find at improv mainstays such as i.O. or Annoyance. The night is divided into
three parts, each with a distinctive approach to the form.

"Fugue" (directed by Don Hall) presents four unrelated stories that play out
simultaneously on stage, over the sounds of jazz. Though distracting, the music
and constant motion suggest a living organism -- an improv amoeba forever
changing shape. Lisa Fairman, with her short hair and flawless figure, is a
standout.

"Lost in Translation" (directed by James Honey) is the Rashomon approach to
improv, with various sides of the same story offered up through monologue. On
the night I attended, a hilarious story about a prom gone array felt honest and
true.

"'97 Bulldogs" (directed by Dennis Frymire) portrays members of a high school
class of 1997, then and now. The characters remain the same from show to show --
Jeff Wattenhofer's neo-hippie and Colleen O'Neill's pretty girl are especially
good -- but the scenes don't trace the evolution from teens into young adults.

Through Oct. 24 at Theatre Building Chicago, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets are
$12 at 773-857-3858.

BAM!

I think we can officially call the show, "Critically Acclaimed".

Or at the very least, we can call Lisa, "Critically Acclaimed". She got outstanding notice in both reviews. Which is great. She's an outstanding girl, and a talented player and she absolutely deserves the accolades.

Yeah, so, two positive Fugue reviews in two days. (And that's 100% of the reviewers that came and saw us, so we're 2 - 0.) Now, we'll just see if it translates into "Asses in Seats".

Cheers,
Mr.B



If you want to check it out, here's the pertinent show info:

FUGUE
WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM
AUG 29 - OCT. 24 (NO SHOW ON OCT. 10)
$12 TICKETS ($2 DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS & PEOPLE WHO USE MY CODE "OWEN21".
DIRECTED BY DON HALL
PRODUCED BY THEATER MOMENTUM.
FEATURING MR.B, MATT DEVINE, LISA FAIRMAN, KRISSY KAVANAUGH. DEANNA MOFFITT, JESSICA SCHLOBOHM, TONY RIELAGE, & SCOTT WHITEHAIR
OUR MARKETING MATERIAL SAYS: "Fugue captures the essence of a musical fugue as four scenes interweave on stage to a soundtrack of jazz, opera, movie scores and more."

FUGUE Reader Review is Posted!

Hey, it's not bad! This particular reviewer really liked it.

So, that's very nice.

If I were the Theater Momentum crew, I'd be spending today looking for quick ways to get that slapped on every postcard, poster and website I could find.

But because I'm NOT those guys, I can lazily post it here for you to read.

Check it out.

“Three long-form improv pieces are on the platter offered up by Theatre Momentum, and despite underseasoned moments it's a mostly tasty affair. Fugue riffs on that musical form as it intertwines stories of four couples in various crises. The story takes a while to jell, but once Lisa Fairman's high-strung, resistant therapy patient is in the mix, it soars. Lost in Translation is a servicable series of comic scenes created from a single word suggested by the audience. The ambitious, time-jumping '97 Bulldogs follows a group of small-town friends over ten years as they confront the disappointments of adult life- a smart, sensitive premise that should be impressively realized once the performers have more confidence.”

-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

If you want to check it out, here's the pertinent show info:

FUGUE
WEDNESDAYS @ 8PM
AUG 29 - OCT. 24 (NO SHOW ON OCT. 10)
$12 TICKETS ($2 DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS & PEOPLE WHO USE MY CODE "OWEN21".
DIRECTED BY DON HALL
PRODUCED BY THEATER MOMENTUM.
FEATURING MR.B, MATT DEVINE, LISA FAIRMAN, KRISSY KAVANAUGH. DEANNA MOFFITT, JESSICA SCHLOBOHM, TONY RIELAGE, & SCOTT WHITEHAIR
OUR MARKETING MATERIAL SAYS: "Fugue captures the essence of a musical fugue as four scenes interweave on stage to a soundtrack of jazz, opera, movie scores and more."

Pontoffel Pock and His Magical Piano!

Allow me to introduce you to the BEST Dr. Seuss story you never heard of...

Pontoffel Pock and his Magical Piano.

A jaunty, exciting tale about a young man, who's stuck in the rut of working in a pickle factory, who dreams of travel and excitement. A magical fairy with a thick Irish brogue gives him a magical, travelling piano and adventures ensue.

The songs are smart and well-written.
The animation is fun.
The animation design and the script is pure Seuss.

I remember seeing it as a kid and thinking, "This is the best cartoon since The Phantom Tollbooth."

And now that some swell guy has posted "Pontoffel Pock" on Youtube, you can watch it too.

Enjoy.

Cheers,
Mr.B

Pontoffel Pock and his Magical Piano. Part 1



Pontoffel Pock and his Magical Piano. Part 2



Pontoffel Pock and his Magical Piano. Part 3

A Short Essay On The Value Of Knowing Dadaists.

I was just looking at Fuzzy Gerdes's pics from the recent Soiree Dada "event" in Millenium Park last weekend. The cast of the new show took their cube out into the park to play with it and drum up some interest in the show.

Here's a pic of the cast, taken by Mr. Gerdes...



Don't they look grand in their costumes and makeup?

I know most of those people and I like every single one of them. And looking at that picture, it made me think about the times that I go home and visit old friends in Kentucky and how I have such a hard time telling them what's good and wonderful about my life in Chicago. Without kids, a wife or a house to serve as markers of achievement, I can't really quantify to them where I've been, what I've done or the many good things that I've experienced here.

I should carry this picture with me.

I could show it to them and say, "Well, these are my friends. And on occasion, they dress up like this and go out and adjust normal people's perspectives for them in the Greatest City on Earth. THAT'S what's so good about my life up here."
I doubt any of them have anything to compare it to.

It's good to know a troupe of anarchist clowns. They keep things in perspective.

Cheers,
Mr.B

PS. The new show, Soireé DADA: Blinde Essel Hopse opens on September 7th. For more information about the show, including ticket price, location and times, you can click on this link.

Some Nice BBR Pics...

Paris Green recently passed me a disk of pics from a few of the recent BBR shows. There are some very silly shots in there. I thought I might share them with you.

(Photo credit should go to Mr.Fuzzy Gerdes, Mr. Lee Bey and Mr.Ochoa.)

Your New Desktop. (via Mr. Bey)

Finally, your BBR desktop is available to put on your computer.
Enjoy!

Second Cousin Joe Relaxes (via Mr.Gerdes)

I like this pose for Joe. He's as relaxed as an old Bloodhound, sprawled out on the lawn. It's cartoonishly relaxed. I don't think that normal people ever sit that way. Very silly.

Winkin' Atcha! (via Mr.Ochoa)

Here's a nice shot of the rip in the crotch of my overalls that I intentionally leave there. I'm not worried about my wenis peeping out, because I DO have underwear on. But I DO think it's funny that Joe had a pants blow-out and either doesn't know or keeps forgetting to patch it up. Hendo has gotten no shortage of material out of that tiny hole.
Gross.

Rubbed Up (both pics by Mr.Ochoa)

Sometimes, in the course of a show, I am called upon to get up onstage and "help" the girls with their numbers. Which USUALLY means that they rub up their sexy ladyparts on me and I protect my dingly-dangly boy-parts and generally look terrified by this close proximity to the girls.
I think that this is a small part of why the show works and doesn't get skeevy. I think that if I were smacking the girls on the ass and rubbing my boy-parts on them, the show would lose a little bit of it's veneer of innocence. I think that veneer of innocence helps keep the show from sailing into "darker, dirtier" water. Plus, I don't think that the audience wants me to act that way.
Also, I am, in real life, actually terrified of girls. So, this works out quite well, actually.
Here's another picture of me, being scared by a girl being all sexy on me.


The Clothes Make The Man.

Here's a nice shot of the character's costume. I really enjoy working on a show that actually HAS a costume. It communicates so much to the audience, before the character actually ever speaks.
For Cousin Joe, I immediately got him into the coveralls. Hendo and I thought that it would be fun to have him be a sweet, lovable retard, who nicely counterbalances Jack Midnight's smoky, smooth personality. There's also inherent friction because Jack is stuck onstage with the one guy who is oblivious to how cool Jack really is. So, that's a nice tug of war.
The newsboy hat came next. I think I've worn that thing in every show that I've been in, except the first one. It also gives a nice retro feeling to the character and the show.
The vests, fingerless gloves and neckerchief all came later.
The vests are meant to convey the idea that Cousin Joe sorta' tried to dress up for the show. But the jacket that goes with the vest probably got lost between his apartment and the theater. Plus the vest is also nicely retro.
The gloves show that he is actually a stagehand. In a normal theater, he might be pulling flies in the wings. Thus an actual NEED for the gloves. In the Playground, though, his toughest job is tracking down an errant pair of panties, quickly.
And the neckerchief is actually a nod to Fred from the Scooby Doo show, who wore a white ascot just to remove any doubt about whether he was gay or not. It's also a practical consideration, since some of our summer shows in the PG, get hot as fuck. And I actually need a neckerchief.
I like how the shortness of the vest and the longness of the coveralls make him look longer and taller than he actually is. There's a cartoonish simplicity about Joe that I like. And he makes a nice counterbalance to the look that Jack Midnight has. So, that works too.

Forgive me if this all reads as a little pretentious. I just don't get a chance to actually point this stuff out and share the thought process behind the costume element. So, it's fun to break it down into it's components for a bit and show what's actually going on there.

Oh Lordy! (via Mr.Bey)

I think that Hendo and I really and truly have the best jobs in Show Business.

And One Final Image...

An image that has actually been requested by a friend, who didn't believe that it existed...

I give you...

The Stuff of Nightmares...

Second Cousin Joe Wearing Pasties.


The Horror...

The Horror...

Cheers,
Mr.B